Electronic organizers are widely used to manage and organize a variety of PIM (personal information manager) data. An electronic organizer (e.g., PIM) enables a user to electronically retain personal data for any purpose and to retrieve the data as desired. Today, PIMs can vary widely, but common to all of them is to provide methods for managing and organizing personal information and to make the information readily available to the user.
By way of example, in accordance with a common PIM, a user can search contact entries alphabetically by name, by keyword, etc. Appointments can be searched by date, topic, etc. Essentially, once personal data is entered into a PIM, the user can query the data to retrieve the information in any manner desired.
PIMs have become increasingly more common. For instance, personal data assistants (PDAs) are probably the most common example of a PIM. Additionally, emerging mobile devices such as mobile telephones, smart phones, and handheld computers incorporate PIM functionality. Oftentimes, a user has multiple devices for which synchronization and/or cross-pollination of data is desired. By way of example, it is not uncommon for a user to have a PDA, a mobile telephone, a home personal computer (PC) and a work PC whereby cross-pollination of data is desired.
A common problem in a multi-device scenario is the generation of sync loops. By way of example, suppose a user synchronizes a contact from a first data source to a first device. Next, the contact is synchronized to a second data source. The contact is then synchronized from the second data source to a second device and ultimately back to the first data source. Once received at the first data source, the contact will appear as a modified version of the contact thus prompting a continual sync loop.
As described supra, a PIM or personal organizer can be synchronized with a source whereby the information is cross-pollinated onto a disparate source from the PIM. However, prior implementations are prone to creating duplicative entries as a result of synchronization. As well, as described above, prior implementations can generate “sync loops” whereby devices view information as changed information thereby initiating continuous looping of data.
Users who want their mobile device(s) to be a central repository for PIM data (e.g., calendar, contacts and tasks items) often synchronize from multiple sources. Today, users that employ multiple personal computers and an exchange server do not have an automated tool capable of adequately performing this synchronization task. Prior synchronization algorithms that attempted to synchronize a device or group of devices with multiple sources encountered duplicate entries, lost user data, and perpetual sync loops causing data to be synchronized multiple times.
What is needed is a system and/or methodology that provides for synchronization of PIM data from multiple sources (e.g., desktop Outlook-brand and exchange front-end servers) regardless of the synchronization protocol versions and different schemas. Further, a need exists for a system that allows for changes to be tracked and passed on to all sources, whereby duplicative items can be detected and prevented.
Moreover, a need exists for a system that includes a central repository for PIM data (e.g., calendar, contacts and tasks items) synchronized from multiple sources (e.g., two PC's, and an exchange server). As well, a need exists for a system where synchronization allows for changes to be tracked and passed on to all sources and devices while detecting and preventing duplicative data items and sync loops.